Skirting Oblivion
by Dresden-Complex
Summary: Allen's body has begun to reject his Innocence and he is slowly dying. It is said that the cure may lie with Cross, but he has disappeared once again. To save Allen's life the Black Order must put pride aside and work with bitter enemies but will it work?
1. Contemplation

**Warning: This is the early warning system. This story will contain yaoi, language, violence, and other such things. If you don't like any of these things please don't read! For all those who choose to venture forth enjoy!**

**-Man does not belong to me. It is property of Katsura Hoshino.**

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Childhood is like a loaded gun. If you don't put the safety on it's bound to go off sooner or later. Maybe it's good to go off every now and again if only to relieve the pressure in the chambers of one's heart. Maybe becoming a bullet isn't such a bad thing after all.

Allen lay in the snow and watched lazy snowflakes drift down from the sky. The snow had been falling steadily throughout the afternoon and the Black Order now lay under a blanket of white. The serene setting was the perfect place to let one's mind wander or to melt away entirely. The latter seemed to appeal to Allen at the moment as he felt like his brain itself was melting.

Truthfully the young exorcist had traveled outside in an attempt to cool down, not really to let his liquefying thoughts go anywhere. The fever that had been wracking his body for the past week had spiked again causing ever moment inside to feel like torture. At the very least it was more comfortable outside.

The snow around Allen's heated body began to melt away dropping him further into its cold embrace. The tiny snowflakes that reached him melted instantly leaving tiny patches of blessed cold on his face and ailing left arm. The pain in the limb was slowly returning as the medicines began to wear off. Sharp pangs shot through his nerves like heated bullets and he feebly raised the arm to see if any new damage was being done.

About a month ago Allen's body had unexpectedly turned on his Innocence and began its attack. That had him sick enough but he only worsened as the Innocence began to fight back against its rejecting host. Everyone had been shocked by the sudden turn. No one in the order had ever seen anything like this before. After all these years of perfect synchronization between parasite and host Allen's body began rejecting the Innocence.

When the diagnosis was confirmed it sent shockwaves throughout the organization. If things were allowed to progress as they were then Allen's prognosis was very grim. With the clock ticking so rapidly Komui had sent the entire science department on a quest for the cure. The team had been toiling sleeplessly since the beginning and yet virtually no progress had been made. It seemed everything they tried was failing and discoveries just couldn't keep up. With every passing day the possibility of hope and success dwindled but the department, or rather Komui himself, wasn't going to give up. He was ready for a long fight.

As for Allen people could only try and make him as comfortable as possible, but it's hard to comfort the dying. Everyone did everything they could think of to ease Allen's suffering. They had employed Miranda's Innocence early on which served as the only truly effective means of prolonging Allen's life. The medications would work for a few days before losing effect and becoming obsolete. Now the only medicines that served a purpose were the pain killers and fever suppressants they used at every possible moment. As the days drug on it became more apparent that it would ultimately be up to Allen whether he lived or died.

At the moment Allen was on the fence in the decision. Dying would mean a relief from the pain but not much else. Besides, he wasn't ready to die. The problem with living, however, was that he wasn't sure how much longer his body or his Innocence could fight. Once one of them gave up it would be the end of the line either for his life or his career as an exorcist. Allen thought briefly on this as he examined his shaking arm. He wasn't surprised to see that a new lesion was already ripping the already ulcerous skin. When he went back inside he would need to be bandaged again. Kanda would see to that being done quickly.

Allen sighed weakly and let his arm flop onto his chest, not caring that the claw of his thumb nicked his cheek. The pains were getting worse and his arm and hand were beginning to shutter more violently. At this point he knew he needed to go inside, but he didn't have the strength to get up. It seemed he would have to lay there until found him. Hopefully it would be sooner rather than later. People had to be looking for him after all.

As if on an invisible cue the doors to the courtyard flew open and Lavi and Lenalee rushed into the snowy sanctum. Allen painfully turned his head toward them and smiled weakly as if trying to reassure them that he was alright.

"What are you doing out here?!" Lenalee asked frantically as she ran to Allen. She carefully pulled him into a sitting position and threw her coat around him.

"I needed to cool off," he replied hoarsely. At the response Lavi quickly knelt down and put his hand to Allen's forehead. He looked to Lenalee with a concerned gaze.

"His fever must have spike again. He's burning," Lavi said. Lenalee swallowed hard in an attempt to keep her composure.

"Then we can't waste any time," she said, getting up and pulling Allen into her arms. Lavi helped her with the task as Allen was dead weight and she couldn't carry him on her own. As soon as the door was pulled open Allen felt the heat him like a suffocating tsunami. He felt as though he were being baked in an oven. His vision blurred quickly and he shut his eyes tight to keep from being sick.

Lavi and Lenalee made quick work of the corridor and broke into the hospital wing in a frenzy. As soon as the nurses saw Allen they stopped all their tasks and rushed toward him. They were happy to have their priority patient back alive, but they had to act fast to keep him stable. Lavi and Lenalee could only lay Allen on one of the beds before they were pushed aside so the nurses could work.

As soon as Allen was down the needles came. He could tell which medicine was being administered by the thickness of the serum that coursed through his veins. The pain killers, which came last, were always the worst as they were in the highest dosage and were thick making the injection long and painful. Allen moaned at the feeling of the medication entering his body. The only comfort from this was the thought that now the pain would begin to melt and he could rest again. If he had to die he at least wanted to die comfortably.

A moment after the needle was removed his arm and hand began to go numb and his body temperature slowly started to descend. The nurses breathed a collective sigh of relief and backed off. Allen heard one of them say to Lavi and Lenalee that they would calm for Miranda soon to make him a little more comfortable. That too was a welcome relief. He also noticed a new IV had been placed in his arm which would help to combat the dehydration. It seemed that in such a short amount of time his pain had been brought under control again and he could finally sleep.

His eyes grew heavy as Lenalee took up her usual position in the chair next to his bed. She took his hand and smiled comfortingly. "Is the medicine working?" she asked. Allen nodded as he shut his eyes. "That's my brother for you, making these fast acting medicines." She spoke a few more words, but Allen didn't hear them. Lenalee seemed so far away as he slipped further into unconsciousness. He didn't even remember the words he spoke as he fell asleep, but Lenalee would always remember them.

On the brink of sleep he had whispered to her, "Lenalee, please make sure I wake up."

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**AN: Woo! My first -Man story ^^ I'm sure this idea isn't original but hopefully I'll be adding my own little twist to it XD. I hope that y'all like it and are looking forward to chapter 2!**


	2. Worsening

**Warning: Just slight hints of LavixKanda in this one, but that should be a hint as to where this story may be going. Also some slight language.**

**Note: I don't own -Man.**

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When Allen awoke it seemed that the atmosphere had not changed. It was still dark outside and snowflakes still drifted by the patches of light the window provided. It appeared that he had only slept for a few hours, but when he looked to the clock on the far end of the room it read an hour earlier than when he had been brought in. From there it was easy to conclude that it was the following night. It had felt good to sleep for so long, but he felt an uncomfortable tugging at his left arm. His arm was beginning to ache again and the feeling of someone messing with is certainly didn't help any. He looked to his left and saw Kanda sitting in the chair by the bed pulling back the bloody bandages.

"How are you feeling?" Kanda asked, not looking up from his task.

"I've been better," Allen replied as he took a deep breath, trying to refill his starved lungs. Kanda tried to hide his pain at hearing Allen nearly gasping for air. Rivalries melted into insignificance when a comrade was this ill. Like everyone else in the Order he was sick at the fact that he was watching Allen die before his eyes.

Once the bandages were removed Kanda examined Allen's Innocence and shuddered. Lesions were still appearing at a near alarming rate, but he was pleased to see that at least some of the wounds near the cross itself were healing slightly.

"Crown Clown is crying," Allen sputtered. Kanda ripped his eyes from the limb and looked to Allen's face. "It says it hurts," he continued, closing his eyes again.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Kanda asked.

"It's not excoriating yet," Allen replied.

"I'll get the doctors then. Better to get the pain killers now than after you can't stand it anymore," Kanda said as he got up. As he turned to walk away he felt a weak hand grasp his own.

"Please don't leave," Allen asked. Kanda turned to look at the lithe figure lying on the bed. He sighed but more in suppressed grief than annoyance. He sat back on the chair and took up a roll of clean bandages, gently wrapping them around Allen's arm. He looked at Allen's pale face, but saw something out of place. A few streaks of red were dripping down his face from his forehead. Kanda panicked and quickly pushed Allen's bangs aside.

"What's wrong?" Allen asked, not entirely sure of what was happening. Kanda didn't reply immediately. He was shocked when he saw the source of the blood.

"Allen, the pentacle is bleeding," he said as calmly as possible. When Allen heard this new problem he moved his hand toward the star above his left eye, feeling the warm liquid. When he pulled the hand away lines of blood followed.

"This isn't good," Kanda said as he quickly picked up a wet cloth and a new bandage. Once the blood was cleaned away and the bandage was in place Kanda rushed off to find one of the doctors. It appeared that suddenly the process had been jumpstarted if even the traces of the akuma virus were being attacked as well. Ultimately that meant that now Allen was just dying faster.

Once the nurses were informed of Allen's condition Kanda began the journey to Komui's office. His pace was slow, his mind calculating the best way to break the news. Truthfully Kanda didn't want to drag Komui down further. He was already under so much stress and this new development would surely make it worse. Then there would be two ailing bodies in the Order.

Kanda stopped in front of Komui's door, not quite finding the courage to knock on it. He smiled bitterly at his cowardice. He never flinched in battle but he couldn't bring himself to inform a superior of a friend's ailing. His face contorted into a slight scowl as he thought about his actions. He wasn't used to caring this much for anyone. When he finally made the announcement he didn't want to sound blunt and cold, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to inject any sympathy into his tone.

"Why so unhappy looking, Yu?" a voice asked in his ear. He knew it was Lavi from the gentle tone and the arms snaking around his waist, pulling the two closer.

"Allen's getting worse," Kanda replied bluntly. He felt Lavi wilt which caused him to turn, wanting to see his companion's expression. A large frown was painted across the red head's face.

"Have you told Komui?" Lavi asked in a low tone.

"I was about to," Kanda said, "But then you interrupted me." He didn't expect Lavi to be put off by the coldness, but he also wasn't expecting to be pulled into a near suffocating embrace either.

"I've never seen you care so much about anyone, Yu," Lavi said, his eyes watering. Kanda's eyes widened, a blush of embarrassment spreading across his cheeks.

"What are you talking about? I don't care," he replied sharply, trying to push Lavi off. That only managed a smile out of the red head.

"I know it's not easy for you to admit, Yu, but the only people who have to know are you and me if we play our cards right," Lavi replied. Kanda laughed.

"I think I usually evade people's suspicions fine on my own," he said with a snap. Lavi laughed again.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Lavi asked. Kanda glared at him.

"I don't need you to hold my hand," he growled.

"Yeah, you do," Lavi replied as he took Kanda's hand and knocked loudly on the door. Kanda flushed as his heart jumped into his throat.

"What are you doing?" he hissed as he yanked on Lavi's hand. Lavi didn't seem to notice. He merely continued to stare at the door, intent on the forthcoming task. "Come on Carrot, you better let me go or else…"

"Can I help you?" a rather overly chipper voice asked. Kanda truly went white at that and he turned his eyes to the source. Komui stared back, a large cup of coffee in his hands. The head of the science department looked between a chipper looking Lavi and a blanched Kanda before taking a sip from the cup in his hands.

"Well I want you two to know I support you entirely, but I don't want you doing anything in my office. The rest of the department might not like it," he said as he turned.

"Yu has something to tell you, Sir," Lavi said, his tone suddenly turning very serious. Komui stopped and turned back toward the two. He knew Lavi's tone and expression only turned this intense when something very serious needed to be said.

"Alright, come in," Komui said as he moved aside, beckoning the two to enter. Lavi took the invitation and moved forward, dragging a despondent looking Kanda behind him. The swordsman may have had a look that screamed murder on the outside, but inside he couldn't be more thankful for this comforting contact.

"What's the problem?" Komui asked as he sat behind his desk. Lavi gave Kanda a gentle nudge, causing the boy to straighten.

"Sir, Allen's getting worse," Kanda blurted, no emotion permeating his voice. At the initial announcement Komui didn't react, perhaps caught off guard by the suddenness of the news. He merely leaned back in his chair and took another sip of coffee. Kanda and Lavi both felt the pit of their stomachs drop out but they didn't let any of their emotions show. It seemed an eternity before Komui sighed and dropped his eyes upon his messy desk.

"What happened?" he asked gloomily.

"The pentacle began to bleed," Kanda replied simply.

"Hmm," Komui responded flatly. He got up quickly and moved toward the door. "It looks like we'll be pulling more all nighters," he paused. "Unless we can find Cross…"

"Find Cross? What do you…" Lavi didn't get time to finish his statement before Komui left the room, closing the door quickly behind him. Outside he leaned against the door and snickered.

"Hmmm, now it's just a matter of finding that man," he said with a bitter smile before he downed the rest of his coffee with abandon. "If only he could stay in one place.

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**AN: Hmm, it's starting to get interesting ^^ This story is pretty fun to write so I hope that everyone is having as much fun reading it as I am writing it! I like having another big project to work on. These things help keep me motivated lol. Hope everyone is looking forward to chapter 2!**


	3. Found you

**Just a language warning. Enjoy!**

**Note: I don't own -Man**

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The snow had begun to fall over the Budapest cityscape. As the snow fell people scurried back and forth in an attempt to get to any place warm, many of them running into the large beer house, which was the largest area in that section of town. It wasn't a bad place to seek shelter, as there was always some sort of festivity going on there.

This night was no different, as the sudden winter blast had filled the place to the brim with people drinking, dancing, and talking away in jovial tones. The place held such a magnetic and exciting atmosphere that the sight of a red haired exorcist general lounging in a corner surrounded by a band of women was no surprise.

Honestly, this was the perfect place for someone like Cross Marian who swung so precariously between being completely sanguine and utterly sardonic that it was a little scary. The ladies, however, didn't really care which extreme Cross leaned toward so long as he had the money. Of course his answer to that particular situation was always the same.

"Another round on me!" he proclaimed cheerfully as he raised his (now empty) tankard.

"Are you sure, Mr. Cross?" one of the ladies to his left asked. Cross merely laughed.

"Of course! After all, my assistants are picking up the tab tonight!" Now, when Cross said 'assistants' he certainly didn't mean anyone willing to be in the situation. That point was illustrated by well enough. At the opposite end of the table, Cross's two 'assistants' sat tied to their seats, which was apparently a way to keep them from weaseling their way out of the bill.

By the ashen skin tone it was clear that Cross was detaining two Noah, who at the moment, were hating Cross as much as their decision to wake up that morning. As Cross continued to pile on the charges the two could merely watch, Devitto looking more disgruntled than usual while Jasdero hung his head morosely. Coincidently it was the Noah's' silence that caught Cross' attention.

"Why so down, boys? It's a party so try to cheer up a little," Cross said with a wide grin.

"Fuck you, Cross," Devitto growled. This cause the general to laugh nefariously.

"Now, now, is that appropriate language for children?" Cross scolded. "For that you'll pay the hotel to," he added with a smirk. Devitto was about to take a jab at the exorcist for that, but Jasdero managed to hit him in the face with his lantern, effectively silencing him. The last thing they need was more debt. Surely they were catching up with Allen at this point.

"Hmm, maybe you wouldn't feel so irritable if you had something to eat," as he casually pushed a plate of meat toward them. The twins merely stared at the plate as while thinking of more colorful expletives they could throw at Cross for blatantly overlooking the obvious (the fact that he was doing it all on purpose was over course over looked at the moment…).

"What's wrong? Not hungry?" Cross asked innocently, cocking his head to one side in (almost) honest confusion.

"Well, it may just be me, but it's fairly impossible to eat when you're tied to a chair," Devitto replied with an equal amount of feigned innocence.

"But I can't untie you," Cross said, appearing to think. "I guess that means I'm just gonna have to feed you," h concluded with a sigh as he rose.

"WHAT?!" Devitto and Jasdero yelled. "What the hell do you think we are bastard, five?! We can feed ourselves!"

"I don't know about that," Cross replied as he skewered a bite sized piece of meat. "You seem a little indisposed at the moment. Besides, I'm a nice guy, so I just wanna help out." However just as Cross was about to kill the last bit of dignity that the twins felt they had, another interesting presence entered the beer house.

The well dressed man seemed just a bit out of place considering the section of town, but it was brushed off by many of the patrons. He was probably just trying to escape the storm like everyone else. After all, he didn't seem uncomfortable in the establishment, or at least he wasn't yet. That changed the moment he looked up and saw an exorcist general hovering over two young Noah.

Needless to say the party in question noticed the new comer as well, and for once it appeared that the twin's luck had changed. "Oh my god, Tyki, I never thought I'd actually be happy to see you," Devitto said with a grin.

"Save us, Tyki!" Jasdero pleaded. Tyki Mikk had certainly not been expecting this when he came looking for Cross. Not only had he found the general, but he had also found the two biggest pains in his neck. Needless to say he couldn't tell if he had been lucky or not, but he wasn't interested in a confrontation with the twins over trying to steal Cross from them so he merely turned and began to walk toward the door.

"Tyki, you stupid vagabond! Get your ass back here and help us!" God… what did he see in that kid he wondered with a disgruntled huff.

"Oh my, another Noah! I seem to have gotten myself into quite a little mess, haven't I?" Cross said with a half smile. Oddly this got Tyki to stop and turn around. He normally wouldn't let himself get goaded into a confrontation, but he didn't intend to stick around long enough for anything to get ugly.

"Please, I have no business with you, exorcist," Tyki replied evenly. "Even though I don't want to I just need to pick up a few things," he continued as he grabbed the back of the other two Noah's chairs and dragged them along behind him. Cross grinned. He knew this wasn't a normal reaction for a Noah. Something else must be going on.

"Well, aren't I getting off easy?" Tyki laughed.

"Maybe before you worry about a fight with any of us, you should think about your disciple first." Cross' eyes narrowed at that little challenge.

"What's that supposed to mean, Noah?" he asked with a slight hiss. Tyki turned and grinned viciously.

"Why don't you find out?"

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**AN: Hi everyone! I'm back! I had to choose a story to update so I went with this one. Sorry that this chapter is a little dry, but I think it's a good bridge. Thanks for being patient over the wait and I really hope it was worth it =)**


	4. The shadow and the cure

**Warning!! Some spoilers in here if you haven't read up to chapter 131. There's also slight language.**

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"Time to wake up," a grating voice said. In an instant Allen snapped his eyes open and looked about frantically. His heart was racing, and he had broken out in a cold sweat, and he was only able to calm down slightly once he had verified that he was indeed alone. Once he knew that no one was around he sighed. He had been hearing that voice ever since he had fallen ill, but he always awoke to find himself alone. The rational part of his mind wondered if he was merely hallucinating as a result of the fevers, but another side of his mind was telling him this voice was something else.

"You look awful," someone remarked suddenly. At this sudden interruption, Allen nearly fell out of bed, the cold sweat and racing heart returning. This time, however, he was relieved to see that someone was actually there. Lavi looked at his fellow exorcist with a rather worried expression. "Are the medications starting to wear off? Can I get you anything? Should I write a will?"

Allen couldn't help but laugh weakly at that. Only Lavi could turn this situation a few shades lighter. "No to all of those," Allen said between strained laughs. "I just had a weird dream." Lavi cocked his head in curiosity.

"Hmm, what were you dreaming about?" he asked as he pulled a chair over to the bed.

"Noodles," Allen replied with a grin. Now it was Lavi's turn to laugh. At least Allen could still be humorous.

"Really now. And what was weird about these noodles?" Lavi asked.

"Well," Allen started, "They were doing synchronized swimming in a bowl of ramen broth." Lavi nodded with a philosophical look.

"Interesting. Well, I believe that means that you're sick of hospital food," the future bookman concluded.

"That must be it," Allen agreed. Lavi grinned.

"So, what's really bothering you?" he asked. At the question Allen's expression became blank once more.

"I've been hearing…a voice," Allen ventured. He didn't really want Lavi to think he was crazy or that it was just because he was sick. Right now, he really needed someone to believe him.

"A voice, huh? Does this voice ever ask you to do anything, or does it just talk to you?" Lavi questioned.

"It just says things, usually just a word or a phrase at a time, no full out conversations or anything." As Allen finished his statement he turned carefully to gauge Lavi's expression. He seemed to be thinking the subject over, but Allen wasn't sure if this was only for show. He knew Lavi probably wouldn't tell him out right that he was going crazy.

"But," Allen continued suddenly, "This voice, I know it's in my head, but it's like I've heard it somewhere before…"

"Shut it. You don't need to tell everyone about me. Let them enjoy what little of you they have left," the voice suddenly snapped in Allen's head. Allen's eyes widened.

"What's wrong, Allen?" Lavi asked, looking up from his thinking.

"Once you weaken a little more, your body will be mine entirely, and I can finally get down to business," the voice continued nonchalantly. "Won't the Earl be surprised to see me?" it mused.

Allen felt his head swim as the voice continued. Somewhere in the noise he could hear Lavi, but he seemed to be unreal, like a voice in Allen's head.

"Just die already," the voice finally growled. Allen never heard Lavi call for help.

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Everyone in the room jumped at the slam of a large book on a desk, causing all eyes to turn toward the source of the noise. At the large desk in the corner, the Millennium Earl sat with head hung and fist shaking in anger.

"What's the matter, Earl?" Road asked, concern lacing her voice. The Earl raised his head, his expression enough to make everyone shrink back.

"That little bastard… he's coming."

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Komui waited anxiously, ankle deep in the snow and shivering profusely as he looked to the sky.

"Jeez, it's just like him. Even in times like this he can't seem to be on time," Komui grumbled with a sneeze. Waiting around like this was taking up valuable time he could be using to do more research.

"I'm not that late, am I?" a voice suddenly asked from behind Komui, causing him to jump and whirl around, pointing an accusatory finger at the person behind him.

"Yes, you are that late! Why don't you learn to be on time, or answer a letter more often, or…"

"Aw! Did you miss me that much?" the red haired general asked with a wide, sarcastic grin. Komui grumbled again. Cross laughed. "Don't be so up tight, Komui. It's not good for your health. Now, I hear there's a problem with my disciple," Cross continued without waiting for Komui's answers to his more snide remarks.

Komui sighed. "I guess one of those letters finally got through," he replied.

"No, I actually heard it from a Noah," Cross said matter of factly.

"Wah?!" Komui was nearly knocked backwards by that statement. How did the Noah know about this?

"But how," he began.

"The how's not important right now, Komui. What is important right now is Allen," Cross said as he walked past the scientist toward the entrance to the Black Order. Komui couldn't argue with that statement. "So please, tell me what's been happening."

"We're not entirely sure how it has happened but Allen's body has begun to reject his innocence." Komui stated. "We were able to regulate the progress for awhile, but our drugs are losing effectiveness quicker than we would have liked. To make matters worse, the pentacle has also begun reacting, so we have to assume that the akuma virus is also being affected by the process." Komui was talking so quickly that he ran right into Cross, who had stopped dead in the corridor. He looked at the general, gauging his expression. Cross appeared pensive, a wide frown spreading over his face.

"I guess I should have known this would happen sooner or later," he said to himself, but Komui picked up on the statement.

"Cross, what do you mean? What's going on he…" Cross quickly silence Komui.

"We don't have a lot of time. If we don't react quickly Allen isn't going to make it," Cross said as he quickly took off down the corridor. Komui had not been expecting this outcome, but at least it appeared that they were finally getting somewhere.

"You know how to cure Allen?" Komui asked desperately as he quickly followed after Cross.

"Not entirely, but I know someone who might," the general replied.

"Who?" the scientist asked.

"The Millennium Earl…"

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**AN: Oh ho! The 14th has some nasty plans for Allen, but what's he got to do with any of this? And the Earl may know how to cure Allen?! Hmm, things are getting interesting... Hope y'all enjoyed!**


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